Successful treatment of alopecia universalis with abrocitinib: a case report

Abstract

Abrocitinib, a highly selective inhibitor of Janus kinase 1 (JAK1), has been approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD). Patients with alopecia universalis (AU) co-morbid with AD receiving abrocitinib achieved clinical remission for both diseases. We report a case of a patient with AU after drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) who responded well to abrocitinib therapy at a dose of 100 and 200 mg once daily. In addition, we reviewed cases of alopecia after DRESS and explored the underlying mechanisms for alopecia areata (AA) being an autoimmune sequela. The therapeutic effects of JAK inhibitors for AA may involve downstream cytokines, such as IFN-γ and IL-15. Abrocitinib may be a promising therapeutic option for recalcitrant AU.

Keywords:

• Alopecia universalis₁
• abrocitinib₂
• drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms₃

Acknowledgements

The authors thank National High Level Hospital Clinical Research Funding under Grant number 2022-PUMCH-B-092; and Beijing Municipal Natural Science Foundation under Grant number 7232118.

Disclosure statement

The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

Data availability statement

The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article.

Additional information

Funding

This word was supported by National High Level Hospital Clinical Research Funding (2022-PUMCH-B-092); and Beijing Municipal Natural Science Foundation (7232118).